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    • Texas football may have major concerns about QB Quinn Ewers
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    Texas football may have major concerns about QB Quinn Ewers

    Seren Anwen Posted on

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    • The Longhorns play their first real road game on Saturday against Vanderbilt.
    • Starting quarterback Quinn Ewers struggled for much of Saturday’s 30-15 loss to Georgia and was subbed in early for redshirt freshman Arch Manning.
    • Coach Steve Sarkisian said Ewers will start Saturday at Vanderbilt.
    • The Longhorns fell behind 23-0 before rallying in the third quarter, but it was too late for a comeback.

    The former No. 1 team in the country got kicked in the backside Saturday night and its quarterback had to deal with a bench move in the first half.

    The unblockable Georgia Bulldogs defeated Texas 30-15, and there was plenty to show for the disappointing performance before a crowd of 105,215 at Royal-Memorial Stadium who expected the Longhorns to solidify their early imprint in their new league.

    Adding extra spice, head coach Steve Sarkisian substituted starting quarterback Quinn Ewers for redshirt freshman Arch Manning toward the end of the first half.

    None of that mattered. Sark could have used a top-notch Peyton Manning behind this surprisingly porous offensive line and the result would have been the same.

    Texas’ offensive line also had a shaky night

    Any concerns about Ewers’ return against Oklahoma after missing nearly a month with an abdominal strain could have easily been dismissed as a product of rust despite some obvious discomfort in the pocket, but it got much worse than Georgia’s monster pass rush anyone Apparently a comfort level decreased from the opening closure.

    Ewers coughed up two fumbles – the first was unhelpful as he was nearly knocked out by defensive back Daylen Everette’s blindside blitz in the first quarter – and threw an interception, putting undue pressure on the defense, the shallow waters of the to keep offensive. He finished 25 of 43 for 211 yards and two touchdowns, but never seemed in command of all the runs.

    Ewers took responsibility for his performance, but we left the stadium knowing he hasn’t played a complete game worthy of the preseason Heisman Trophy hype since defeating overwhelmed non-conference opponents Colorado State, UTSA and had challenged Michigan when he played 73% of his game passes

    Oct. 19 with the reality that he hasn’t played a complete game worthy of the preseason Heisman hype since he lit up overwhelmed non-conference opponents Colorado State, UTSA and Michigan by completing 73% of his passes passed for 691 yards with eight touchdowns and just two interceptions. He also enjoyed tremendous protection during this stretch, as he only managed one sack in 58 pass attempts.

    Part of his discomfort against the Bulldogs stemmed from the struggles of an offensive line that failed to live up to preseason mentions that they would be in contention for the Moore Award, the Heisman for offensive lines.

    More: Steve Sarkisian explains why he briefly benched Texas QB Quinn Ewers for Arch Manning

    It went from Joe Moore to No More quickly; The team’s most experienced unit allowed seven sacks, and even left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. – arguably the best at his position in America – was beaten on a speed rush that led to a strip sack in the final period. Worse, the Horns managed just 29 rushing yards on 27 carries, easily one of the worst ground performances by a No. 1 team in college football history.

    With Longhorn luminaries like Kevin Durant on the sidelines, the Horns delivered an air ball in only the third top-5 match in DKR history.

    What’s wrong with Quinn Ewers?

    There was a time when a team with an average quarterback and a good running game could win a national championship, but that’s no longer enough.

    Ewers didn’t have a chance in a showcase game on Saturday, and the concerns about his viability as a championship quarterback are understandable given the expectations he himself helped generate last season and as Texas’ starter. It’s not just about one man, but when that man holds the most important position in the sport, expectations are exponentially higher, and rightly so.

    Perhaps Ewers’ substitution in the first half in favor of talented redshirt freshman Arch Manning was a subtle reminder of what this is all about.

    With the nightmare of the defeat against Alabama behind them, the Bulldogs, who came to the DKR as underdogs for the first time in 50 games, left the ATX as owners of a clear victory, a frustrating result given the overall outcome.

    If I had told Sarkisian before the game that Pete Kwiatkowski’s defense would limit the Bulldogs to 283 total yards and Carson Beck would intercept not once, not two, but three times, he probably would have assumed that the Horns were still undefeated and still up would rank number. 1.

    This week, ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper had Ewers and Beck as his fourth- and fifth-rated quarterback candidates behind Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, Miami’s Cam Ward and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe. Neither delivered a standout performance, and Ewers may have fallen behind players like Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel and LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier in the pecking order.

    More: The SEC issues a statement about the officiating of the Texas-Georgia game, with fans throwing debris

    Ewers and Co. took the lead on third down with 2:15 to play. That wouldn’t be enough against Slippery Rock’s JV team, let alone the UGA Dawgs.

    DKR could be heard behind the bench

    Georgia defensive end Mykel Williams and linebacker Jalon Walker made life difficult for the Texas offensive line in the first half, and Ewers paid the price by being sacked three times. After starting with an interception 6 of 12 for 17 yards, Sarkisian pulled his starter aside and delivered a sobering message.

    More: Grades Texas vs. Georgia: The worst grade of the season includes an F for the Longhorns

    “I felt like Quinn was a little uncomfortable and I just wanted to give him a chance to take a step back and regroup,” Sarkisian said. “I didn’t know if we were going to get a series with Arch or two, depending on how much time was left on the clock in the half. So we just told Quinn, “Hey, we’re going to go here with Arch and give you a chance to get to the locker room.” Let’s regroup and then come back out in the second half. And that’s exactly what we did.’”

    And how about being pulled at the start of the third quarter and then reinstated?

    “It felt strange to be in that situation,” Ewers said.

    Ewers responded positively, leading the Horns to a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter, the first coming after one of the most polarizing pass interference reversals of all time. After fans threw water bottles at the North End zone following Jahdae Barron’s 36-yard interception return, which was negated by a pass interference penalty, the officials rescinded the call and Ewers hit running back Jaydon Blue with him the first of two touchdown passes, the first of a pair of points that cut the deficit to eight.

    There was a modicum of hope, but little else.

    As they prepare for a suddenly testing road trip to Vanderbilt, Ewers and the offensive line must find a solution. It’s obvious that Ewers is far from 100% physically. He admitted as much when asked about the slash on Saturday evening.

    “It’s there a little bit, but I feel like that’s just how injuries happen,” Ewers said. “You’ll feel it, whether it’s just because I think about it too much and I feel it, or whether it’s just there a little bit but it’s not a big problem or anything.”

    Ewers is miles better than the mild-mannered kid who came here one season from Ohio State after skipping his senior year at Southlake Carroll, and he’s reached a level of maturity where he understands what’s at stake. It’s a results-oriented business and his performance – albeit against the No. 9 ranked defense in the country – wasn’t nearly enough to beat an elite opponent.

    The slow starts are a big problem. He was 7 of 17 for 25 yards with a fumble and an interception in his last two first quarters, a tough departure from leading the high-octane attack that crushed non-conference opponents. To his credit, he played much better in the second half on Saturday, but at the break it was finally decided with a 0:23 deficit.

    “I just think we didn’t start off the way we obviously wanted to, and it’s hard for an offense to catch up, but I think we stayed confident and composed the whole game,” Ewers said. “There were moments where people probably thought Georgia was going to pull away, but either we scored or our defense got stopped. “That kind of kept us in the game, which is cool to see, but we definitely did today didn’t play our game.”

    Sarkisian will start Ewers in the second week of play at Vanderbilt, but he has shown us that he will use his man with the best interest of this team in mind. Expect Ewers to bounce back, but his leash just got shorter.

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    Seren Anwen
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